Give your students the grit to achieve more

EduGuide is a national award-winning nonprofit whose funders have included:

"Lately I was falling off, then I did this one [EduGuide] activity and it made me re-examine my values...it made me re-apply that to everything I do. Since then, I've been doing so much better…in all my classes. It makes me work harder, and hustle better, and...applies to everything, not just school."

Isan, Student

How it works

Here's how our evidence-based program strengthens your students

1: Engage

Students do online activities 15+ mins weekly in class or advisory program.

2: Interact

Teachers and other partners interact with students on their activities.

3: Grow

4: Persist

Each year students tackle new activities, proactively preparing them for bigger challenges.

Contact Us

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Get at the root of raising achievement

Research indicates that a student's level of grit — the measurable ability to focus on long term goals and overcome obstacles along the way — is a better predictor of success in school and careers than IQ (Duckworth, Quinn et al. 2012).

They make you think about life differently....about how your brain works and how criticism affects you and how you should deal with things. Instead of getting angry or being mean, you take criticism well and use it to make you better. You really have to strive for things instead of it being given to you.

- Ashley, Student

Core strength training for the mind and heart

EduGuide's activities are based on more than a decade of evidence on how to change students' mindsets and the passion they bring to challenging work and long term goals. Schools, colleges and other groups use Eduguide's program to improve behavior, reduce dropouts and close achievement gaps.

EduGuide will help more kids not only start college but finish it with a degree. They won’t give up at the first sign of difficulty. They’ll remember the activities they did with EduGuide and push on.

- Monica Robinson, English Language Arts Department Head

Go deeper to reach students where they're at

As students work with teachers to develop their sense of purpose and what inspires them, they forge stronger bonds that make it easier to learn everything else.

The kids seem to be into it. I hear them talking sometimes about it, or I'll ask them to explain a concept that they've read about, and they'll be all, 'oh I got this, Ms. Hall, listen to what I've got to say.' It's been positive for me that way.

- Ms. Hall, Teacher

Save time: two ways

EduGuide's ready-made activities mean you can put students right to work without a lot of preparation, knowing the innovative online system ensures fidelity to the research model.

The activities do double duty by meeting core curriculum requirements for critical thinking and reflective writing with multimedia informational text.

One of the things I like is the support services. It's not delivering a package to the school system and saying, 'run with it." It's delivering the package and then providing the support system in order to make it more effective…. Absolutely it has made my life easier.

- Harold Ford, Principal

A smart investment in stronger students — and schools

In the same way that exercise now saves health costs later, EduGuide’s program gives students proactive, consistent strength training — and skills — to overcome the challenges they’ll face in their classes and life. And that can preclude higher costs down the road: such as summer school, credit recovery and drop out. It’s a smart way to build a stronger school culture, ready for college and career success.

I really haven't had any kind of program like this before to show me the true self that's within.... These activities actually showed me how to be a more well-rounded person. My life was focused on the NBA, and now ever since taking the EduGuide program, I want to be a graphic designer.

- Jordan, Student

What's Included

Intuitive online training platform

New student activity every week

Optional blended classroom materials

Safe space to mentor students

Easy-to-use management tools

Unlimited staff accounts

Real-time data dashboard

On-call support during business hours

Regular progress reports

Online staff training

Dedicated EduGuide coach

Impact guarantee

When used as directed with all of your students, we guarantee an improvement in attitude, behavior, achievement or persistence within one year or your money back.

EduGuide's nonprofit program is open to a limited number of schools, colleges and groups who pay their share of the cost. For more information about being considered, please sign up for a partnership meeting.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the best way to implement EduGuide's program?

People use it in a variety of ways, but it's best as a standard part of a class or as a required assignment in an advisory period or student support program. EduGuide's activities fill the Common Core requirement for critical thinking with informational text and multimedia technology. They are most commonly used in English classes as writing exercises, but can support other subjects as well.

What's this about other partners being involved with the student's activities?

If you want, you can invite other staff or program partners to work with the students on their activities too. At some schools, counselors, special educators, administrators and even outside university partners also scan targeted students comments and mentor them in 1-on-1 online discussions using the activities. Colleges and other programs can create the same kind of partnerships to support their students.

What stage is this for?

Middle, high school, and college. The program has been specifically designed around the ever-growing level of challenges and transitions that students face during these years as they strive toward completing bigger projects and achieving a degree.

Does it have to be used with the whole student body?

No, you're welcome to start it with any group you want to focus on. But you will see a greater return on investment by using it proactively and holistically, instead of just with students who are already struggling. That's because research shows that "gifted" students are just as likely as others to face obstacles in school and life that lead them to decline or dropout. EduGuide prepares them to step up to those challenges. And using it campus wide has larger peer effects, spreading a positive culture of persistence.

How does this work from year to year?

Each year students get new activities. Each builds on the last. They learn new skills so they are prepared to face bigger obstacles. They practice habits that rewire them to persist in pursuing their goals. And they are brought back again and again to a growing sense of purpose that brings out what they most want to contribute to their community.

What training do you provide?

We assign an EduGuide Results Coach to every school we work with. Your coach will provide online training to get staff started — often in as little as one hour. Because of the intuitive nature of the platform, students rarely need support, though we are happy to provide it. Your coach will also provide regular coaching opportunities to analyze your data, issue reports and offer tips to ensure results. We see this as a shared partnership; as a nonprofit, our only bottom-line is the success of your students.

What do I get?

This is more than just software. It's a program where our nonprofit dedicates a coach to supporting each of our partners in growing their impact. It's a series of activities that engage not only the student but can build relationships with teachers, other staff and mentors. It includes optional blended learning materials that make it easy for teachers to go deeper. And it's designed for campus-wide impact, building a culture of college and career success.

How do people pay for this?

Many can fit it in their budget for student materials. But it can also be paid for as part of a school improvement plan, Title I, Title IV Safe Schools, 21st Century Community Learning Centers, Special Education, GEAR UP, TRIO, or college student support funding and other grants.

How much staff time does it take to administer?

It plugs right into the classroom where it saves the teacher time because the online activities are ready-made. Students do the self-paced activities on their own in as little as 15 minutes or they can be extended for the full class period. Afterwards, all the teacher has to do is scan students' comments and add follow up questions where appropriate to deepen the learning. Grades can be easily given based on the percentage of progress made and the quality of the writing transcript.

Do the activities have to be done weekly?

No, you set the schedule: whenever it fits. The more the better, but at a minimum students should be brought back to the mindset provided by the activities twice per month on average. One activity is provided for each week. We set limits against going faster than that because students need time to digest the impact of each one in their life.

What demographics is it designed for?

The program has been designed and tested to work for a diverse range of participants from urban schools in low socio-economic communities to suburban and rural schools with disparate income levels.

When should we start?

This is a flexible, year-around program that can be started at any time because it builds skills incrementally. The earlier it’s started, the sooner you can equip your students with the formative experiences to overcome challenges and strive for higher goals.

What kind of hardware do we need?

Access to an internet connected computer or tablet for each student when doing the activity. The platform is cloud-based, so there’s nothing to install and students and staff can use it from home. Some students use it on their phone, but the experience is better on a computer screen. Some groups use headphones to limit the sound. The computers should have a reasonably current web browser such as Internet Explorer 8 or later and should have internet speeds able to support video. We continually update EduGuide’s platform to increase results as part of our ongoing research.

What's the cost based on?

Cost depends on the size and level of support needed by the partner, which can be evaluated at a partnership demo meeting. People tell us that the annual partner cost is similar or less than they spend on other services — using it proactively could even save money on costly crisis interventions or summer schooling. Our nonprofit is committed to keeping it an affordable, sustainable program that each year continues to grow its impact. Together we're building a movement of people working for an education system that empowers students to pursue their potential.

What evidence do you have that this works?

The activities are based on more than a decade of research on exercises that have increased student GPA by .3 grade points, improved academic behaviors, increased degree completion and closed achievement gaps by as much as half. EduGuide’s system has been designed to deliver these activities with fidelity and to amplify their impact with the unique features of our online platform. Thanks to multiple national grants we’ve been able to research, design, develop and scale this model to deepen its impact. And we are so confident that it will make a difference for your students that we guarantee it.

EduGuide's nonprofit program is open to a limited number of schools, colleges and groups who pay their share of the cost. For more information about being considered, please sign up for a partnership meeting.

About EduGuide

Founded in 2000, EduGuide is an award winning nonprofit that specializes in research driven tools that thousands of partners have used to coach millions of people to take measurable steps to success. Learn more.